Our Travel Blog

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Driving Miss Donna - what does this mean? Whenever I want to go somewhere, if Don is home he will usually drive. He always says he is driving miss Donna! This blog is for our travels, usually with our truck and fifth wheel trailer, but sometimes in our other wheels. When we are not vacationing check in for updates, although less frequent, about our life at home and our wonderful family:)

Thursday, August 2, 2018

June and July Mixed Together Part 1

Ugh - as if I am not bad enough at blogging when we are away on"vacation", here I am two months behind and sitting at home.

Well of course we are not just sitting at home, but you would think I could get more writing done?

Of course all the usual has happened - a bit of work for both of us, Co-op meetings for me, etc. In May I forgot to tell you that Ron and Bev stopped in for a few days after the long weekend, and we had our usual shenanigans of eating, shopping and drinking, not necessarily in that order.

I think I will supply the highlights this time...

  • The first event in June was the annual Farmer's Day Parade, which I attended with the Stecyks. I think the boys got just enough candy to get them through a week or two!
  • Don and I decided to take a drive to our favorite restaurant in Jasper for lunch and a beer. The weather was perfect - a little cool but sunny, and of course the views never disappoint.
  • North Central Co-op and the Edmonton Valley Zoo have started a program that is a wonderful family venture - Zoo Night for staff and Board. We attended last year, and since the Zoo is a favorite place, I was easily able to convince them to come with me again. Don and Blake joined us for dinner before heading to lacrosse, so it was just myself with Emerson, Reese, Connor and Mason. We had a blast and are so thankful to the organization for sponsoring this event. I would say Lucy the elephant and ice cream made the day!
  • Connor and Mason had their last ball games and although we haven't made it to all of them, we went to this one and had ice cream after. A great year for Connor and Maosn's first year was so cute to watch!
  • I volunteered at the annual KidSport Parkland Golf Tournament. Sometimes we are away during this event, but if we aren't I like to attend. I founded KidSport Parkland in the early 2000's, and it is a cause dear to me, so although not an official executive member, they call on me at times, for which I am grateful.
  • Now this happened - we had solar installed on the trailer! We have been using solar and boondocking for quite a few years, and it was time to make a bigger commitment and install a permanent panel. After a LOT of research we selected CBI Solar out of Red Deer. I will tell you, it has been a long time since we visited a business that showed such passion for their product and professionalism in their service and overall business. We highly recommend them to anyone considering solar, whether house or RV or even cabin at the lake.
  • Next up was our annual fishing trip with the Scotts. This year we made our way back to Calling Lake in search of the perfect Walleye. With the hot weather and those fish biting, it was a success. And of course always a fun time with them!
  • We made it home just in time to attend both Emerson and Reese's music recitals!
  • The Stecyks invited us to Family Day at Northlands and it was a blast. Besides getting some bets in, we watched the dogs race, which is hilarious, not competitive, and a great event. Keep it in mind - no admission and tons of things to do!
  • June finished with a camping trip to Cross Lake with the Camerons. Although the weather was warm, the wind was not conducive to a lot of tubing, but we made it out often enough to somewhat satisfy the water babies. LOL

These photos should be in order of what I described. If they aren't oh well.










June and July Mixed Together Part 2

Well this barely qualifies as June, but here is the finishing post. We left off with a camping trip on the long weekend with the Camerons…
  • We headed home on Monday to do laundry, replenish water and groceries, then early Tuesday morning we headed in the opposite direction to meet up with the Stecyks at Crimson Lake for a few nights. We had pretty good weather, and although the lake is too shallow for tubing, we even tried our hand at fishing. The beach there is wonderful for hanging out on as well. We even took time to drive to the Bearberry Saloon for lunch one day.
  • We had been planning a trip to Saskatchewan mid month, but our plans changed when a very dear friend’s mom passed away. So we left Crimson Lake, went home and re-packed, and headed to Tisdale for the funeral and some family time. Of course it’s always sad to say a final goodbye to someone, but we did appreciate seeing old friends and having some quality time with the Edmunds families.
  • On July 12 I picked up all the grandkids and we had a day our at Jurassic Forest. Well in fact it was a morning out, but everyone enjoyed themselves! The dinosaurs are a big hit with everyone, but all the bug and bird displays were a bit tiresome. It is not a place you need a day to walk through, so we also took time for treats and a park play!
  • We couldn’t decide what to do about Blake’s Lacrosse provincials in Calgary, but I really wanted to go. So although we missed the Friday game, we did decide to take in Saturday evening and Sunday games. They came home with a Silver medal and we were so proud we could be there.
  • As you know we had solar installed on the trailer, and we have been anxious to put it to the test, so on July 24 we headed out to Abraham Lake to do just that! Don and I did some hiking, and our friend Ivan amazingly enough was in the area (he never stays home) so he also joined us. We relaxed and spent some time concentrating on beverages and solving the world’s problems.
  • Ron and Bev surprised us with a visit the last week of the month, and we had a blast! We are so fortunate to have them in our life, and whenever we visit we sure do enjoy ourselves!
  • The rest of our July days were spent visiting friends, eating out and hanging with the kids – in other words PERFECT!
As always here are random photos.  Enjoy…
crimsonhikingkidssask fieldseffleurv falls